From the Vault: Historic Tracks

The Keeneland Library’s newest exhibit, the first in a series featuring the repository’s historic photographs, will open to the public on October 1, 2018, and will run through the spring.

The Library is home to a million photographic prints and negatives dating from the late 1800s. From the Vault: Historic Tracks taps into a sample of 26 of these rich documentary resources, with a focus on racing fans’ engagement with U.S. tracks over time. From tracks that operated for less than a decade to tracks still running today, the exhibit’s early 20thcentury emphasis highlights New York, Washington, D.C., Kentucky, Florida, Louisiana, Illinois and California courses, providing glimpses into the experience of U.S. racegoers at various moments in history.

The exhibit showcases the work of the pioneering turf photographers John C. Hemment and Charles Christian Cook, with additional representation from Joel Clyne Meadors and Robert Lee McClure. The online exhibit, "Photo Treasures from the Keeneland Library," provides access to nearly 100 other historic images of U.S. racing facilities in its “Tracks Gallery.”